Verbena Plant Named &#39;VEAZ0028&#39;

ABSTRACT

A new  Verbena  plant named ‘VEAZ0028’ particularly distinguished by the its earliness to flower and its medium sized inflorescences, large sized flowers that are light blue with a white eye, dark green, undivided leaves, and a first upright and later mounding plant habit.

Latin name of the genus and species of the plant claimed: Verbenahybrida.

Varietal denomination: ‘VEAZ0028’.

BACKGROUND OF THE NEW PLANT

The present invention comprises a new Verbena, botanically known asVerbena hybrida, and hereinafter referred to by the variety name‘VEAZ0028’.

‘VEAZ0028’ is a product of a planned breeding program. The new cultivaris very early to flower and has medium sized inflorescences, large sizedflowers that are light blue with a white eye, dark green, undividedleaves, and a first upright and later mounding plant habit.

‘VEAZ0028’ originated from an open pollination made in July 2009 in agreenhouse in Enkhuizen, The Netherlands.

The female parent was an unpatented proprietary plant designated‘L0539-4’, having a blue flower color with a white eye and smallerflowers than ‘VEAZ0028’.

The resulting seed was sown in February 2010 in a greenhouse inEnkhuizen, The Netherlands, and ‘VEAZ0028’ was selected as one floweringplant within the progeny of the stated cross in May 2011.

The first act of asexual reproduction of ‘VEAZ0028’ was accomplishedwhen vegetative cuttings were propagated from the initial selection inJune 2011 in a greenhouse in Enkhuizen, The Netherlands.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF INVENTION

Horticultural examination of plants grown from cuttings of the plantinitiated in the fall of 2011, and continuing thereafter, hasdemonstrated that the combination of characteristics as herein disclosedfor ‘VEAZ0028’ are firmly fixed and are retained through successivegenerations of asexual reproduction.

‘VEAZ0028’ has not been observed under all possible environmentalconditions. The phenotype may vary significantly with variations inenvironment such as temperature, light intensity, and day length.

‘VEAZ0028’ has not been made publicly available more than one year priorto the filing of this application.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe basic characteristics of the new variety. The combination of thesecharacteristics distinguishes this Verbena as a new and distinctvariety.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photographic drawings show typical flower and foliagecharacteristics of ‘VEAZ0028’ with colors being as true as possible withan illustration of this type. The photographic drawing in FIG. 1 shows aclose view of an inflorescence of the new plant, and in FIG. 2 a wholeflowering plant.

The aforementioned photographs were taken in late April 2013 in Andijk,The Netherlands. The plants were about 10 weeks old and were grown in 12cm pots.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The plant descriptions and measurements were taken in Enkhuizen, TheNetherlands on May 27, 2015 indoors in natural light. The plants usedwere about 10 weeks of age, growing in an 11 cm pot in a greenhouse.

Color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society ColourChart (R.H.S.) 2001.

TABLE 1 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE NEW VARIETY ‘VEAZ0028’ AND A MOSTSIMILAR VARIETY ‘Duemplavbu’ (U.S. Plant ‘VEAZ0028’ Pat. No 21,638)Flower color: Light blue with Lavender blue white eye Florets: LargeMedium Flower size: Larger Smaller

-   Plant:    -   -   Form, growth and habit.—Herbaceous, initially upright, then            outwardly spreading; vigorous and free-branching.        -   Plant height.—19.0 cm.        -   Plant height (inflorescence included).—22.0 cm.        -   Plant width.—46.0 cm.-   Roots:    -   -   Number of days to initiate and produce roots.—10-12 days at            about 22 degrees C.        -   Type.—Fine, fibrous, free branching.        -   Color.—RHS N155D but whiter.-   Foliage:    -   -   Arrangement.—Opposite, simple.        -   Immature, leaf color, upper surface.—RHS 137A.        -   Immature, leaf color, lower surface.—RHS 137C.        -   Mature, leaf color, upper surface.—RHS 137A.        -   Mature, leaf color, lower surface.—RHS 137B.        -   Length.—About 5 cm.        -   Width.—4.0-4.5 cm.        -   Shape.—Ovate.        -   Base shape.—Attenuate.        -   Apex shape.—Acute.        -   Margin.—Dentate.        -   Texture, upper surface.—Hirsute.        -   Texture, lower surface.—Hirsute.        -   Color of veins, upper surface.—RHS N138A.        -   Color of veins, lower surface.—RHS N138B.        -   Pattern of veining.—Pinnate.        -   Petiole color.—RHS N138A.        -   Petiole length.—1.3 cm.        -   Petiole width.—0.4 cm.        -   Texture.—Heavily pillose.-   Stem:    -   -   Branching characteristics.—First upright, later spreading.        -   Quantity of main branches per plant.—About 24.        -   Color of stem.—RHS N138B, greener.        -   Stem length.—About 24-32 cm.        -   Stem width.—About 0.3 cm.        -   Length of internodes.—3.5-6.5 cm.        -   Texture.—Hirsute.        -   Color of peduncle.—RHS N138B.        -   Length of peduncle.—2-3 cm.        -   Peduncle diameter.—0.2 cm.        -   Texture.—Canescent.-   Inflorescence:    -   -   Type.—Umbel-like, but actually a spike, umbrella-shaped,            large.        -   Blooming habit.—Flowers continuously through the summer            months.        -   Lastingness of individual blooms on the plant.—About 6 days            in the greenhouse.        -   Fragrance.—No fragrance.        -   Number of inflorescences per plant.—45 to 65 at various            stages.        -   Horizontal diameter of inflorescence.—About 6.5 cm.        -   Depth of inflorescence.—4.5- 5.0 cm.        -   Number of florets per inflorescence (including any buds at            the time).—28-34.-   Bud (just when opening/showing color):    -   -   Color.—RHS 124A.        -   Length.—0.4 cm.        -   Width.—0.3 cm.        -   Shape.—Tubular with a bulbous end.-   Floret:    -   -   Form.—Sessile; salver-shape, composed of 5 partly fused            petals with a base of a narrow tube.        -   Immature color, upper surface.—RHS 159A.        -   Immature color, lower surface.—RHS 159A.        -   Mature color, upper surface.—RHS 113B with an eye 155D,            whiter Size of the Eye 0.4 mm.        -   Mature color, lower surface.—RHS 113C.        -   Floret diameter.—3.2-3.9 cm.        -   Floret length (depth).—2.1-2.3 cm.        -   Petal length.—1.5 cm.        -   Petal width.—1.2 cm.        -   Shape.—Attenuate.        -   Apex shape.—Emarginate.        -   Margin.—Entire.        -   Petal texture, upper surface.—Papillose; glabrous.        -   Petal texture, lower surface.—Papillose.        -   Corolla tube length.—1.6 cm.        -   Corolla tube width.—0.3 cm.        -   Corolla tube color inside.—RHS 144D.        -   Tube color outside.—RHS 145D.        -   Corolla texture, inside.—Papillose, short hair.        -   Corolla texture, outside.—Glabrous.        -   Throat hair color.—RHS 155C.-   Calyx:    -   -   Type.—Five sepals whose margins are fused to each other            along their length, with a transparent membrane of less than            0.1 cm in width and with one smaller sepal attached to the            base of the calyx.        -   Color of sepals.—RHS 145B.        -   Length of sepals.—1.3 cm.        -   Width of sepals.—0.2 cm.        -   Sepal shape.—Linear, but fused.        -   Apex shape.—Acute.        -   Margins.—Entire.        -   Texture.—Densely covered with short hair and many glandular            hairs.-   Reproductive organs:    -   -   Gynoecium.—        -   Pistil.—1.        -   Pistil length.—1.3 cm.        -   Style color.—RHS N144D.        -   Style length.—1.3 cm.        -   Stigma color.—RHS 144B.        -   Ovary color.—RHS 144B.        -   Ovary length.—0.28 cm.        -   Ovary width.—0.12 cm.        -   Androecium.—.        -   Stamens.—Anthers and filaments fused to upper half of            corolla tube; four anthers with two pollen sacs per anther.        -   Color of filaments.—RHS N144C.        -   Filament length.—0.2 cm.        -   Anther color.—RHS N144D.        -   Anther length.—0.16 cm.        -   Pollen amount.—None observed.-   Fertility/seed set: Neither seed nor fruit production has been    observed-   Disease/pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common to    Verbena has not been observed

What is claimed is:
 1. A new and distinct variety of Verbena plant named‘VEAZ0028’ substantially as illustrated and described herein.